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Marc Chagall (1887-1985) – Abdullah Discovered before Him…, from the Arabian Nights
Lithograph from 1948.
Inscribed Pl. 9 and numbered 82/90.
Dimensions of work: 42.5 x 32.5 cm.
Hand signed.
Publisher: Pantheon, New York.
Reference: Mourlot 44, Cramer 18.
The work is in Good condition.
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Marc Chagall’s Abdullah Discovered before Him and on His Right and Left Mountains of Water… (1948) forms part of the Arabian Nights portfolio, created during the artist’s stay in New York. The project illustrates selected episodes from the Arabian Nights, and this plate refers to the story “Abdullah the Fisherman and Abdullah the Merman.” In the tale, the fisherman Abdullah is given the ability to breathe underwater and enters a world entirely different from his own. At one point he observes great “mountains of water” rising around him—a moment of sudden visual transformation.
Chagall interprets this scene with simple, flowing forms and soft tonal contrasts rather than literal depiction. His approach conveys the unusual atmosphere of the underwater world and the sense of movement described in the narrative. The result is an image that reflects both the story’s content and Chagall’s personal way of translating narrative into visual terms.
This lithograph is marked Plate 9 and numbered 82/90. It was published by Pantheon, New York, as part of the Arabian Nights portfolio. The work measures 42.5 × 32.5 cm, is hand-signed, and is listed in Mourlot 44 and Cramer 18, confirming its place in the standard catalogues of Chagall’s graphic works.
